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Yes, it's that time of the week. Time for me to start work on yet another new project. And well, this one I'm actually convinced I will complete. Not like the others, they were just something I was writing for fun. This one I am seriously getting into.
A small town in the middle of nowhere. The people aren't friendly, the people are afraid, and the people hate outsiders. After a string of disappearences and assumed murders, the police force (which is significantly more open than the town itself) brings in a specialist..
As he's driving into town, he notices something odd: three crosses on a hill. He doesn't think much of it, but it creeps him out a bit.
He is shunned by everyone in town, including most of the other officers. The only exception is the chief, who essentially becomes the cop's new partner. The cop asks to see the bodies of the dead, the cop says they've all been buried. Not up to regulation, which makes the cop a little suspicious.
During his first night in the town, he is woken up in the middle of the night by what he thinks is screaming, somewhere outside of town. He runs outside, gun in hand, and runs right into the chief. He tells the cop it's just coyotes, that they always howl this time of night. The sound stops, the chief leaves, and the cop is left wondering what the hell is going on.
Something happens here (it's not refined yet).
During one of the following nights, there's an incident, and two people are killed. The cop heads out, but when he arrives all there is is a wrecked pick-up in the ditch. The sherrif tells him the bodies have been removed already, and denies the cop's request to see them.
Fast forward, to the funeral only two days later, which really sets the cop on edge. He attends, and after the funeral has ended he spots a lone figure, wearing a long black robe, standing on the hills overlooking the cemetary. The figure walks away, leaving the cop once again confused.
After the funeral the cop calls in a friend of his. Fast forward to the night after the funeral, the cop and the new arrival at the cemetary. The cop doesn't like something, so he and the new guy exhume the fresh burial (against regulations, but at this point he thinks screw it, something's not right).
What they end up finding is an empty coffin.
Which is as far as I can go without revealing the ending. I will say this though, if you can read French you may be able to figure it out from the title. But, I say no more. The storyline is quite broad, however, and depending on how this first one does (I guarantee I will finish it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but eventually) I may continue the story to the somewhat significant conclusion.
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Je Suis Le Mort Réincarné by R.E.Freak - Thriller - Detective Eamon Garith is sent to the small Midwestern town of Lancington to investigate a string of murders. He is shunned by the locals, finding no help in the local sheriff or his deputies. As the days pass he slowly digs deeper into the goings on of the town. Screaming up in the hills during the nights, mysterious townsfolk speaking of disappearances. Eamon begins to uncover the truth about the murders, finding that there is far more to the town than meets the eye. A secret that could very well mean his death. - html** format.
Just finished the first draft and sent it in. It's 80 pages, give or take. Pretty short compared to most of what I've written, but I know I'll go through a couple of rewrites in the coming months before it reaches the desired length.
Je Suis Le Mort Réincarné by R.E.Freak - Thriller - Detective Eamon Garith is sent to the small Midwestern town of Lancington to investigate a string of murders. He is shunned by the locals, finding no help in the local sheriff or his deputies. As the days pass he slowly digs deeper into the goings on of the town. Screaming up in the hills during the nights, mysterious townsfolk speaking of disappearances. Eamon begins to uncover the truth about the murders, finding that there is far more to the town than meets the eye. A secret that could very well mean his death. - html** format.
I read this last night and it's one of those great stories or films where it makes you think afterwards. Reminds me a bit of DEAD & BURIED. The ending had echoes of Cronenberg's SHIVERS in it (I don't know why, just reminded me of it). Well written and imaginative, although the bit right at the end with a certain character saying "I Lied" was well...slightly unbelievable.
Kevin was killed maybe a bit too quick, could've been introduced a bit earlier. But all in all it was easy to read and quick as well. Well played, man.
"We don't make movies for critics, since they don't pay to see them anyhow."
I'm working on a rewrite as we speak, fixing (among other things) Kevin, adding a few scenes to introduce him near the beginning. I should have it done... well, knowing me, I could take a day, I could take a month.
I haven't read the script but I must say I don't like the title at all. How is a French title relevant to this story? It seems a bit pretentious to me to use French if the story is not set in France nor are any of the characters French. If you are really in love with that title perhaps you should make reference to it in the screenplay to justify its use. I did skim the story looking for some reference to something French, but I couldn't find it.
Does that title have any particular significance other than it sounds cool? If not, I think a English title is better.
This script was really good. Smart, imaginative, I really liked the ending. One of those rare films that you can go away and think about for a while. Can't wait to read the rewrites.
Now, I dont mean to take away any thunder from this script, but when are you gonna give us JTD3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Enough waiting!!!!!!
Still, loved this and most of your other stuff, so keep on going.
Quoted from chism, posted January 1st, 2005, 10:59pm at here
Now, I dont mean to take away any thunder from this script, but when are you gonna give us JTD3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am working on it as we speak, literally. I took a break from writing these past few months, this was my first completed project coming back to the game. I'm now starting on both rewrites of this one, and working on JTD3. So, hopefully, I should be done the first draft probably sometime around late February or mid March, depending. I'm putting a lot of work into this one, trying to make it surpass both previous chapters. I'm also doing some rewrites of the first two chapters to incorporate a few things I'm adding in Chapter Three. Big project.
As for the French title, I actually was going to have a spot where Braeden says that line, but, well, I forgot. I'll be including it in the rewrite, as well as some other stuff that helps tie the title to the story. This draft's only 80 pages after all, and the shortest final draft I've written so far is over 100 pages, so you can expect a lot more to the next draft.
It's a mysterious cool sounding title, and most French language sounds pretty cool when spoken by someone who speaks English. It usually sounds sexy or sophisticated.
Je Suis Le Mort Réincarné
What does it actually translate to? Do you know or do I have to download one of those "Learn French in Six Weeks" files to find out?
I just used a free online translation diddy, so I don't know how accurate it is, but it's basically 'I am the dead reborn.' which sort of sums up the entire movie.
GOTCHA! It sounds cool in both languages. F**k what everyone else says, I'd keep it in French, if it were my script. Obviously it's not my script for the simple reason that this is good.
Here's a list of some stuff I'm working on including in the next draft:
-A new opening scene -An earlier introduction of Kevin -A much longer flashback that shows Braeden through a few different time periods -A scene to break up the time Eamon is in the catacombs. It would be a mass conversion. I originally intended to include this, but didn't write it (I instead had Braeden say the entire town was converted). It'll feature quite a bit more, and will probably be one of the bigger sequences. -An actual reference to the title -A slightly different ending that's a bit more realistic -MUCH better dialogue between Eamon and Braeden -An extended (and much better) version of the funeral scene, with better dialogue -A slightly revamped version of the truck rollover aftermath -A bit of a smoother explanation of the rollover, rather than the quick flashback I have now
I'll also be working on including some actual French into some of the dialogue.
Oh, and ten points to anyone who can figure out what all the names mean.
I think the ending for this script was pretty good, maybe it could have been established a bit better in some of Breaden's dialogue or something, but it still works.
But one thing you should change for the revisions is to give it another ending, one that ensures that this screenplay has a sequeless future. That would be really, really cool.
The ending actually leaves off the way it does as I was working on a story at the same time as this (which has since fallen into the deep, dark pit that is Freak's Development Limbo) which wasn't a 'sequel' in the traditional sense, but a story that built on the same concept in a different way. It was a much grander story, involving the actual apocalypse and Second Coming. The ending of Je Suis was to imply that connection, but to prevent any true 'sequel' from being written, as I didn't want to write a sequel. To give you an idea of the scope of the new idea, the final sequence involved a massive ten thousand year old underground temple beneath Vatican City which essentially disproved everything we know and believe, and was the key to the two stories. I eventually put that idea on ice to go off and work on some other projects, and the ending of JSLMR is all that remains of that idea. I might come back to the idea one of these days, but until then, who knows.
That's what I've been meaning to ask you, Freak. If you're signed on to write one of these things and it's put into production, would you put in a bid to direct? Like are you a writer/director or just a writer?
I would try and get attached as director, but it's not a deal breaker for me. I'm a writer first, director second, though if I can be a writer/director first, all the better.
Yeah, this is a great script. Hey Freak, if I can find funding could I try to direct this? I'm trying to get a career off the ground and this is exactly the kind of script I'm looking for. It's sheer brilliance, and it could be managed well with the right actors and atmospheric filming. I see a lot of "film noir" and "German expressionism" influence, or at least that's the kind of style that I envision would work well for this. Something moody and gothic, kind of a throwback to "The Exorcist", "Frailty," and "Sleepy Hallow".
If you want a mental image of the find of style my directing reflects, I'd say a cross between "William Friedkin", "Tim Burton", and "Sam Raimi."
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I'll be including it in the rewrite, as well as some other stuff that helps tie the title to the story. This draft's only 80 pages after all, and the shortest final draft I've written so far is over 100 pages, so you can expect a lot more to the next draft.
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